phenolic tip ferrule combo on my Player shaft

berlowmj

berlowmj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I picked it up today at a cost of $20 for parts & labor. My only previous experience has been with house cues. I did not want to beat up my Universal shaft. My breaks were far more explosive, balls spread all around the table, no clusters, & a higher percentage of breaks with 1-3 balls pocketed. CB control was not a problem.
 
Well thats good on your part.

I've been using a phenolic tip off n on, for about 2 yrs. At first my experience when i was a newbie to actually trying to play proper pool was mixed.

I had days where I could break and make 2 or 3 balls almost at will, and had good CB control.

Then there was every other day, where i miscue'd alot on the break, couldnt make a ball, the CB flew off the table alot, and had no CB control.

for about 6months I stopped using a phenolic tip break cue and went back to just a hard layer tip cue. And had better results with a lesser break. I also practiced my break more and worked more on just controlling the CB than, breaking hard.

I then went back to the phenolic tip and found my break was better by doing the same thing i did with the other cue. I had the same CB control but, ended up with better spreads and balls made on the break.
 
I am certainly not a seasoned player. I find that breaking in pool is like the martial arts. I must relax & forget that I want to kill the balls. Once again -relaxation facilitates speed & speed is power. I have not learned to recruit other parts of my body into the break as in the martial arts.

I am also having problems with consistency. I have been reading too much. I became conflicted between the advice to place the blade of my gripping hand 6 inches from the cue's balance point vs the emphasis on the necessity to keep the forearm perpendicular as I pull the trigger. I found myself looking back to check my forearm & hurting my stroke.

Do you have any views on this contradiction or am I becoming a pool neurotic?
 
If your having problems with your break sometimes going back to the basics helps.

I had some problems with my break for the past two weeks and ended up going back to the basics and it help.

When i practice my break, I start out breaking soft, to control the CB, and then slightly increase my power untill i cant control the CB anymore, and thats when i know how hard i can break and still control the CB.

if you PM blackjack, he had some very good info on mastering the break. I dont know if he still has his web site up but it has the best info you can read about learning to control the CB. and it really does work.

And yes reading too much and thinking too much can hurt you more than you know.

I know some people say you should stand and hold the cue when your breaking just like you would if your shooting a shot.
When I get into my stance for breaking, I rarely check for my hand position on the cue. I just feel for when i am holding the cue confortably, and get into a strong stance for breaking. Its kinda hard to explain, so if someone at your local pool hall gives lessons, they can generally help alot better.
 
A little tip

One little tip for someone that is hitting the rack TOO HARD losing control of the cue ball. Itt is not always easy to let up for some people.

A little tip that helps that is simply to exhale prior to the hit stroke. This helps to bring your break 'down' a little with more control as a benefit.
 
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